Anon (FoGT) 23III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from the Fourth Grammatical Treatise 23’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 599.
Ólafr ‘Óláfr’
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Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr
kunni ‘’
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kunna (verb): know, can, be able
blóthús ‘sacrificial buildings’
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blóthús (noun n.; °-s; -): sacrificial building
brenna ‘burnt’
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2. brenna (verb; °brennr/brenn; brann, brunnu; brunninn): (strong, intransitive)
Bráðan ‘sudden’
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bráðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): quick(ly)
hitti ‘encountered’
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hitta (verb): meet, encounter
Magnús ‘Magnús’
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2. Magnús (noun m.): Magnús
notes
[2] Magnús: I.e. Magnús inn góði ‘the Good’ Óláfsson, son of S. Óláfr (r. 1035-47).
váða ‘danger’
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váði (noun m.; °-a): danger
Harald ‘Haraldr’
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Haraldr (noun m.): Haraldr
notes
[3] Harald ‘Haraldr’: Haraldr harðráði ‘Hard-rule’ Sigurðarson (r. 1046-66).
frágum ‘have heard’
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1. fregna (verb): hear of
vier ‘We [I]’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
hjör ‘sword’
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword < hjǫrleikr (noun m.): sword-play
kennings
hjörleiks,‘sword-play, ’
= BATTLE
sword-play, → BATTLE
leiks ‘play’
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play < hjǫrleikr (noun m.): sword-play
kennings
hjörleiks,‘sword-play, ’
= BATTLE
sword-play, → BATTLE
mildan ‘generous with’
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mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous
Hans ‘His’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
notes
[4, 5] arfi hans; vinr dróttar ‘his heir; the friend of the people [RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldssynir]’: These expressions may refer to either Magnús or Óláfr kyrri ‘the Quiet’ Haraldsson, and it may be that the latter is the more likely referent as he was the more prominent of the two brothers and ruled Norway from 1067-93, while Magnús ruled briefly on his own in 1066 while Haraldr and Óláfr were in England, and jointly with his brother from 1067-9. He died in 1069 (see Note to l. 5).
arfi ‘heir’
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arfi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): heir, heiress
notes
[4, 5] arfi hans; vinr dróttar ‘his heir; the friend of the people [RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldssynir]’: These expressions may refer to either Magnús or Óláfr kyrri ‘the Quiet’ Haraldsson, and it may be that the latter is the more likely referent as he was the more prominent of the two brothers and ruled Norway from 1067-93, while Magnús ruled briefly on his own in 1066 while Haraldr and Óláfr were in England, and jointly with his brother from 1067-9. He died in 1069 (see Note to l. 5).
tók ‘took’
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2. taka (verb): take
nú ‘now’
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nú (adv.): now
við ‘on’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
starfa ‘the business [of government]’
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starfi (noun m.; °-a): business of government
dróttar ‘of the people’
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1. drótt (noun f.): troop
kennings
vinr dróttar‘the friend of the people ’
= RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson
the friend of the people → RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson
notes
[4, 5] arfi hans; vinr dróttar ‘his heir; the friend of the people [RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldssynir]’: These expressions may refer to either Magnús or Óláfr kyrri ‘the Quiet’ Haraldsson, and it may be that the latter is the more likely referent as he was the more prominent of the two brothers and ruled Norway from 1067-93, while Magnús ruled briefly on his own in 1066 while Haraldr and Óláfr were in England, and jointly with his brother from 1067-9. He died in 1069 (see Note to l. 5).
vinr ‘the friend’
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vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend
kennings
vinr dróttar‘the friend of the people ’
= RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson
the friend of the people → RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson
notes
[4, 5] arfi hans; vinr dróttar ‘his heir; the friend of the people [RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldssynir]’: These expressions may refer to either Magnús or Óláfr kyrri ‘the Quiet’ Haraldsson, and it may be that the latter is the more likely referent as he was the more prominent of the two brothers and ruled Norway from 1067-93, while Magnús ruled briefly on his own in 1066 while Haraldr and Óláfr were in England, and jointly with his brother from 1067-9. He died in 1069 (see Note to l. 5).
fekk ‘contracted’
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2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
helverk ‘mortal illness’
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helverkr (noun m.): [mortal illness]
notes
[5] hættan helverk ‘a dangerous mortal illness’: Mork identifies the illness from which Magnús Haraldsson died as reformr (ÍF 23, 325), translated by Andersson and Gade (2000, 446 n. 2) as ergotism, a disease caused by eating fungus-affected grain. Óláfr kyrri died of an illness on 22 or 23 September 1093 (see ÍF 24, 16).
hættan ‘a dangerous’
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hættr (adj.; °compar. -ari/-ri, superl. -astr): dangerous
notes
[5] hættan helverk ‘a dangerous mortal illness’: Mork identifies the illness from which Magnús Haraldsson died as reformr (ÍF 23, 325), translated by Andersson and Gade (2000, 446 n. 2) as ergotism, a disease caused by eating fungus-affected grain. Óláfr kyrri died of an illness on 22 or 23 September 1093 (see ÍF 24, 16).
hníga ‘fell’
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hníga (verb): sink, fall
riett ‘certainly’
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3. réttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): right, straight, direct
notes
[6] riett ‘certainly’: It is also possible to construe riett with vier frágum ‘we have heard’ (l. 3).
á ‘on’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
notes
[6] á enskri sliettu ‘on an English field’: At the battle of Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, where Haraldr harðráði was killed on 25 September 1066.
enskri ‘an English’
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enskr (adj.): English
notes
[6] á enskri sliettu ‘on an English field’: At the battle of Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, where Haraldr harðráði was killed on 25 September 1066.
sliettu ‘field’
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1. slétta (noun f.; °-u; -ur): [field]
notes
[6] á enskri sliettu ‘on an English field’: At the battle of Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, where Haraldr harðráði was killed on 25 September 1066.
sóttum ‘by illness’
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sótt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): illness
notes
[7] píndr sóttum ‘tormented by illness’: Magnús inn góði ‘the Good’ died of an unspecified feverish illness in Jutland on 25 October 1047 (ÍF 23, 168-71; Andersson and Gade 2000, 181-4). Anon Nkt 34II also records his death from illness.
píndr ‘tormented’
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3. pína (verb): torture, torment
notes
[7] píndr sóttum ‘tormented by illness’: Magnús inn góði ‘the Good’ died of an unspecified feverish illness in Jutland on 25 October 1047 (ÍF 23, 168-71; Andersson and Gade 2000, 181-4). Anon Nkt 34II also records his death from illness.
þá ‘’
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2. þá (adv.): then
notes
[7] þá er örlög enduz ‘when his fortunes came to an end’: There is a large hole in W at this point, so the emendations adopted here are conjectural though supported in the case of enduz by skothending with píndr ‘tormented’. The emendation örlög ‘fate, fortunes, death’ was first suggested by Jón Ólafsson from Grunnavík (cf. FoGT 1884, 274 n. 3) and has been adopted by all eds; the emendation to enduz was first suggested by Björn Magnússon Ólsen (FoGT 1884) and has been adopted by all subsequent eds.
er ‘when’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
notes
[7] þá er örlög enduz ‘when his fortunes came to an end’: There is a large hole in W at this point, so the emendations adopted here are conjectural though supported in the case of enduz by skothending with píndr ‘tormented’. The emendation örlög ‘fate, fortunes, death’ was first suggested by Jón Ólafsson from Grunnavík (cf. FoGT 1884, 274 n. 3) and has been adopted by all eds; the emendation to enduz was first suggested by Björn Magnússon Ólsen (FoGT 1884) and has been adopted by all subsequent eds.
notes
[7] þá er örlög enduz ‘when his fortunes came to an end’: There is a large hole in W at this point, so the emendations adopted here are conjectural though supported in the case of enduz by skothending with píndr ‘tormented’. The emendation örlög ‘fate, fortunes, death’ was first suggested by Jón Ólafsson from Grunnavík (cf. FoGT 1884, 274 n. 3) and has been adopted by all eds; the emendation to enduz was first suggested by Björn Magnússon Ólsen (FoGT 1884) and has been adopted by all subsequent eds.
notes
[7] þá er örlög enduz ‘when his fortunes came to an end’: There is a large hole in W at this point, so the emendations adopted here are conjectural though supported in the case of enduz by skothending with píndr ‘tormented’. The emendation örlög ‘fate, fortunes, death’ was first suggested by Jón Ólafsson from Grunnavík (cf. FoGT 1884, 274 n. 3) and has been adopted by all eds; the emendation to enduz was first suggested by Björn Magnússon Ólsen (FoGT 1884) and has been adopted by all subsequent eds.
ágætt ‘a famous’
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ágætr (adj.; °compar. ágǽtari/ágǽtri, superl. ágǽtastr/ágǽztr): excellent
fall ‘fall’
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fall (noun n.; °-s; *-): fall
er ‘who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
hlaut ‘got’
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hljóta (verb): alot, gain
til ‘to’
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til (prep.): to
vallar ‘the ground’
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vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Óláfr, who got a famous fall to the ground [death], burnt sacrificial buildings. Magnús encountered sudden danger, tormented by illness, when his fortunes came to an end. We [I] have heard that Haraldr, generous with sword-play [BATTLE], certainly fell on an English field. His heir now took on the business [of government]; the friend of the people [RULER = Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson] contracted a dangerous mortal illness.
Stanza 23 is the third example of antitheton, which the prose text explains contains multiple examples of separated parts of clauses.
The theme of each complete sentence in the stanza is the manner of death of one of four kings of Norway, two in battle, the other two from illness. — As the prose text explains after the citation of st. 23, there are four complete sentences in this stanza. Line 1 is completed by l. 8, l. 2 by l. 7, l. 3 by l. 6, while ll. 4 and 5 go together. This ingenious arrangement of clauses appears not to have a precise precedent in earlier Icelandic treatises on poetics like SnSt Ht or RvHbreiðm Hl. — [1, 8]: This clause is about King Óláfr inn helgi ‘the Saint’ Haraldsson (r. 1015-30) who died at the battle of Stiklestad in Verdalen, Trøndelag, on 29 July 1030. The reference to his burning down blóthús ‘sacrificial buildings’ (l. 1) alludes to his role in combatting heathenism and introducing Christianity to the people of Norway. — [8]: The line echoes Anon (HSig) 9/3, 4II, a stanza allegedly spoken by Óláfr inn helgi Haraldsson.
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